Tenzin's Toothache
by Jeff Morris
Summary: Tragedy strikes Air Temple Island when a ancient piece of botan candy strikes Master Tenzin down! What dark childhood secrets paralyze the Master Airbender and keep him from seeking help? Who is the mysterious Doctor Zhao? The answers lie within!


_This is an amateur, non-commercial story, which is not produced, approved of, or in any way sponsored by the holders of the trademarks/copyrights from which this work is derived, nor is it intended to infringe on the rights of these holders. And so it goes._

 **TENZIN'S TOOTHACHE**

"Oh for…" The exasperation in Pema's voice was palpable. "Tenzin, when are you going to admit you have a problem and go see a dentist?"

"…m finb," the Air Master replied, very carefully chewing on the left side of his mouth. Apparently a stray piece of tofu went awry, however, because his expression suddenly twisted into a painful grimace.

"You are NOT fine," Pema continued. "Honestly, why you keep that ancient botan rice candy in your office is beyond me. Look at the trouble it's caused you!" She shook her head. "How someone who almost religiously brushes and flosses can bite down on one of those rocks…"

"Dear, as I said, I'm…" Tenzin's face twisted again. "I'm fine. Really."

"Oh yeah," Kya chimed in. "I'm convinced."

Pema sighed heavily. "Tenzin, please. Let me call around and find a dentist in the city that specializes in treating benders. You can't go on like this forever!"

"Hey," Bumi called from the far end of the table. "You don't suppose Zhao's still practicing, do you?" The impact of that name was instantaneous and almost terrifying. Both Tenzin and Kya froze, the color draining from their faces and a deep shudder shook their bodies. Tenzin started to make a reply, but once again something hit the tender tooth and this time an exclamation unsuitable for young airbenders emerged.

"That's it," Pema said, rising to her feet. "I'm calling around this afternoon." She leaned forward, her finger in Tenzin's face. "You, mister, are going to a dentist and get that taken care of as soon as possible!"

* * *

A hour later, a puzzled Pema emerged from her office. Bumi was still seated at the table, having a cup of tea and studying the Republic City racetrack schedule. "Okay, explain," she said as she flopped down in the seat opposite him.

"Hmmm?"

"I've called six dentists, and gotten the same thing every time. 'Is your husband a bender?' I say yes. 'Did your husband ever see a Doctor Zhao as a child?' I'm assuming yes, based on what you said earlier. The minute I say so, I get 'I'm sorry but the doctor can't see you'. Six times! What is it about this Doctor Zhao?"

Bumi chuckled evilly. "Oh, that is a long story."

"Give."

Bumi set his paper down and took a sip of tea. "Well…Doctor Zhao was a dentist that specialized in benders. I never went to him myself, for obvious reasons. But when Kya and Tenzin were old enough, Mom decided it was checkup time. Someone…I think it was Toph, which made a certain amount of sense as you'll see, recommended Doctor Zhao. So Mom sent Dad to see him first to screen him and see how he might be with kids.

"Well, Dad came home raving about what a great dentist Zhao was. He was personable and thorough, and apparently showed Dad how he handled kids. So Mom made the appointments, and one afternoon Dad took Tenzin in. Two hours later they returned—Dad was utterly bewildered and Tenzin was crying and screaming bloody murder. It took Mom two hours to calm him down. So she asked Dad what had happened."

"I'm afraid to ask, but go on," Pema sighed.

"Well, Dad had forgotten to mention two little details about Zhao's methods with kids. First, it was his standard policy to chi block kids before he worked on them. I mean, it's understandable, but for a sensitive kid like Tenzin that was probably pretty scary."

"What was the other thing?"

Bumi was trying hard not to laugh. "Well, you see…once he got them in the chair, he brought out his hand puppets to help them relax."

Pema blinked. "Hand puppets?"

Bumi nodded. "Of CLOWNS."

"Oh dear." Pema was torn between hysterical laughter and sheer horror.

"Oh yeah." Bumi's grin was huge. "Mom wanted to cancel Kya's appointment right then and there, but Dad somehow managed to convince her that it'd be okay. She was older than Tenzin and not quite so…serious, I guess. So off they go to see Doctor Zhao. They chi block Kya, get her into the chair, here comes Zhao, out come the hand puppets…"

"And what happened?"

Bumi leaned forward. "Kya lunged forward and bit him. From what Mom said, she actually drew blood. Mom dragged her out of there and headed back home, and apparently Kya had this little smug grin on her face the whole way."

The laughter would no longer be contained. "Oh my," Pema gasped. "No wonder…"

"Yeah. And since then they've both been fanatics about dental hygiene." Bumi leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard thoughfully. "You know, you could call Lin Beifong. With all the benders on the force, she'd probably know someone good who might work. And there's one other thing…"

Pema cocked her head, curious. "Oh?"

"Well, if Toph went to Zhao, she probably took Lin, so I'd say anyone Lin goes to must be highly recommended."

* * *

"Doctor Li's office."

Pema took a deep breath. "My husband needs to have a tooth looked at. He was eating some botan rice candy and something cracked."

There was a rustling of paper on the other end. "We have an opening tomorrow afternoon. Your husband's name?"

"Ahhh…Tenzin. Master Tenzin. The airbender."

A long pause. "Would your husband by any chance…"

"Doctor Zhao?" Pema interjected. "Yes, I'm afraid so." Worried that this might be the kiss of death, she quickly added, "You were highly recommended by Lin Beifong."

"It's not a problem, ma'am. We've seen a number of Doctor Zhao's former patients over the years. Now, before you and he come in, there are a few things we need to discuss…"

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Tenzin stared suspiciously at the little black pill in his hand. "What is this supposed to do for me?" His stress levels had been climbing steadily since getting up that morning, and at this point—two hours before his appointment—he was ready to leap skyward at the slightest provocation. Or as Bumi had put it, "put some coal between his cheeks and we'd have diamonds in no time."

"Yes, I'm sure," Pema reassured him. "The receptionist said you should take this. It'll help you relax for the appointment." She held a glass of water before him. "Take it, dear."

"I don't know," Tenzin said quickly. "You know, the tooth is feeling so much better today. I don't know that this is really necessary…"

Pema grabbed his wrist with her free hand, 'that look' on her face. "Take the damned pill, Tenzin. Now." He meekly complied. "Very good, dear." Pema wrapped a comforting, iron-firm arm around his waist and guided him outside. Bumi was waiting atop his sky bison Lieutenant.

"Good luck," Kya waved from nearby. "Better you than me!"

* * *

By the time they mounted the bison, Tenzin was already starting to feel the effects of the pill. "My," he said slowly, staring at Pema. "Have I told you how lovely you are, Pema?"

"Oh my, that's so sweet!" He raised a hand and tried to caress her cheek but missed by a foot. Pema smiled and guided it to her face. "Tell me more," she suggested.

Bumi rolled his eyes. "Oh, this is going to be a long trip. Lieutenant, yip yip!"

The pill was working with a vengeance; Tenzin was clearly feeling no pain on the way over. He gazed tenderly at Pema with a dazed, blissful smile. "You are the most wonderful woman I've ever known."

"Thank you, dear," Pema smiled, patting his hand. "Let's see if you think so when you come down off the cloud you're currently on."

"It's so beautiful up here," Tenzin continued. "The wind, the clouds and the sun…you know, sometimes I think about Zaheer and Guru Laghima. It'd be so nice to be able to float around up here without any bending…but then again, you are the one earthly tether I could never break away from…" He smiled to himself and began to sing:

"When I'm weary

And need to rest

I put my head

On Pema's breasts…"

"Oh god," Bumi muttered under his breath. "I thought the 'I want to sin with Lin' song was bad enough. Why does he always get this way when he's impaired?" He turned toward Pema. "We should be landing in just a minute. Hopefully we can pour him off Lieutenant in one piece."

Tenzin smiled brightly. "Isn't my big brother so considerate, Pema? He really is a good man."

"Yes, dear, he certainly is," Pema assured him.

* * *

"All right, Master Tenzin, just sit down here and Doctor Li will be with you momentarily," the kind-faced nurse said with an assuring pat on the shoulder. Either he was coming out of the pill's effects faster than expected, or his childhood trauma had been far greater than they'd thought, because he was starting to look a bit panicked. "Nothing to worry about, sir," the nurse assured him. "I promise you everything will be fine."

Tenzin grabbed her wrist tightly. "Tell me…no puppets? No clown puppets?"

"I promise, Master Tenzin. No clown puppets." That seemed to settle him down slightly, though the anxiety could be seen in his eyes. Pema had volunteered to sit with him, leaving Bumi in the waiting room with a few magazines featuring exclusive interviews with New Father Avatar Aang. She reached out and gently squeezed her husband's hand, praying that the dentist would get the hell in here and get this over with before Tenzin snapped out of it.

Her prayers were immediately answered. "How do you do, sir. I'm Doctor Li. I understand you've got a problem with a tooth?" Tenzin nodded, and the dentist smiled. "Well, I'm sure you're a bit nervous, but let me assure you that this will be utterly painless. I use something special for patients like you."

"Not clown puppets?" Tenzin gasped.

"No, no." He reached over and accepted a nose mask from his nurse. "This is called nitrous oxide. I want to put this over your nose and have you take several deep breaths. And as you do that, I want you to count backwards from 100. Can you do that for me, Master Tenzin?"

"I think so," Tenzin acknowledged, but his tension was clearly growing. Two minutes later, however, it had completely ebbed away; Tenzin barely got down to ninety-nine before closing his eyes and smiling peacefully.

"Wow," Pema breathed.

"It's very effective with nervous patients," Doctor Li nodded. "Especially those who had Doctor Zhao way back when."

"I don't suppose I could borrow some of that," she asked half-jokingly. "It'd work wonders with Meelo."

"Afraid I can't help you there," the dentist laughed. "But let's see what I can do for your husband. All right, open up…hmmm. Yes, he's definitely cracked a tooth but good there. I'll have to clean it up and put a metal crown on it. Shouldn't be too bad."

"How long will that take?" Pema asked, slightly worried. "I mean, will we have to come back so you can put the crown in?"

"Oh no," Li said, shaking his head as he set to work. "I'll have it done in an hour. I'm a metalbender. Really saves time on casting and everything."

* * *

Tenzin's eyes slowly opened. "Where…?" He glanced around and discovered to his surprise that he was lying in his own bed. Even more surprising, it appeared to be morning outside. And best of all, his tooth was no longer throbbing.

"Good morning, dear," Pema said, carrying a breakfast tray to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, actually." He ran his tongue over the previously-damaged tooth. "It would seem Doctor Li did a very good job. Pema…how did I end up here? And did I really sleep the day away?"

"Yes you did," his wife answered with a smile. "You did wake up every now and then on the way back, but once we got you settled here, you were sound asleep. The doctor said that might happen."

"Yeah," Bumi commented from the doorway. "You've got absolutely no tolerance for drugs or alcohol, Tenzin. Must be from a lifetime of clean living and no fun."

"That's not true. I have fun," Tenzin protested mildly, then let it go. "So how did you get me off Lieutenant and in here?"

"Oh, that was actually kind of funny," Pema giggled. "Bumi managed to slide you down the side, then he, Kai, the kids and Korra created a sort of air mattress under you. The rest was easy."

"We looked like a funeral procession," Bumi said, shaking his head. "Pema was in the front, and three of us were on either side. Hey, feeling better?"

"Yes I am," Tenzin nodded. "And as soon as I get cleaned up, I'm going straight to my office and…" Kya suddenly came into the room, pushing Bumi to one side and glaring at Tenzin. She had one hand covering her right cheek and appeared to be in considerable pain.

"Jeez, Tenzin," she snapped. "How old is that candy in your office? I take one piece and…oww!" She rubbed her cheek gingerly. "I think I broke a tooth."

"Uh-oh," Bumi said, rolling his eyes. "Here we go again."

"Excuse me," Pema said with a sigh as she rose to her feet. "I need to make a phone call…"


End file.
